Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 22, 2008 - Thursday in the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
[James 5:1-6 and Mark 9:41-50]Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.
I once read a book on the history of salt and I was amazed at the role this substance has played. Wars were fought over it just they are now over oil or water or other substances seen to be valuable! In many cases, it wasn't because people wanted it for cooking. It was for their horses and cattle and sheep, etc. If the horses (or other beasts of burden) didn't get salt, there would be no getting from place to place! (Certainly no military conquests!) In the Mediterranean and Eastern European areas, traditional greeting gifts were salt and bread. Salt has gotten into our language in the form of expressions such as "salt of the earth," "worth one's salt" or "sitting above the salt!" There are superstitions about spilling salt (throw some over your shoulder). An old expression for a veteran sailor is "an old salt." Language that is "salty" has a fair amount of profanity in it. In the middle east of Jesus' day, salt was not only given to the animals, but it was mixed with animal dung to make it burn more efficiently as a fuel! It was used then as now as a curing agent and as a purifying agent in addition to flavoring food. Scripture scholars think that almost all these meanings may be implied in Jesus' comments as reported in the Gospel of Mark. If salt is a common need, it serves as a bond and that may be at the root of Jesus' words. Today I am especially attracted to the question of salt losing its flavor. May 22, 2008 is the 37th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. Almost any vocation can lose its attractiveness and one can grow tired of the requirements and demands. My hope and prayer is that I will continue to be worth my salt to the people whom I try to serve! I hope, too, that we will all keep salt together and have peace with one another! AMEN
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